WIC makes it Easier for Families to Get Healthy Foods, Jan. 20

WIC, Oregon’s public health nutrition program, is offering its families a new way to shop for WIC food benefits using an EBT (electronic benefit transaction) card. This new card is referred to as eWIC and Coos Health & Wellness WIC program will begin issuing eWIC cards at their clinics beginning January 25, 2016. Currently, participants of WIC use paper vouchers to buy the healthy foods that WIC provides. Now, with this new eWIC card, shopping will be easier and WIC families will be able to better track their monthly food balance. Participants will also have access to a new WICShopper Smart Phone App allowing them to scan a food’s bar code to determine if it is a WIC allowed food. In Coos County 2,787 women, infants and children use WIC. Last year $1,078,562 was spent in our county at local grocery stores and farmers markets for healthy foods. Coos County WIC participants will begin to switch from paper vouchers to eWIC cards starting at the end of January and the conversion will continue for several months. Jamie Wright, Coos Health & Wellness WIC Coordinator, says that “our team has been awaiting this change and we are very excited to see how this will improve our WIC participants’ experience not only at the store but also within our clinic.” Oregon WIC has been offering participant-centered nutrition education, healthy food, breastfeeding support and has been serving as a gateway for preventative health for over 40 years. It is considered one of the most successful, cost-effective and important nutrition intervention programs in the country. WIC serves pregnant, post-partum and breastfeeding women, infants and children up to the age of five who are residents of Oregon and meet the income guidelines. To find out if you are eligible or for more information about WIC visit www.healthoregon.org/wic and or call Coos Health & Wellness WIC at 541-751-2401.